


Not So Single Dads

by Genius_626



Series: Not So Single Dads stories [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Characters, Established Friendship, Family friends/Family rivalries, M/M, SchoolDistrictManager!Thranduil, Teacher!Bard, Widowers falling in love, single dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 21:04:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3910621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Genius_626/pseuds/Genius_626
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bard Bowman, the local history teacher at Laketown High, Thranduil Greenleaf, the former principal and now district manager, meet after years of not seeing each other. They finally decide to act on feelings they couldn't have before while they learn how to be not so single dads.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning of Something New

Bard rarely had reason to question anything about himself. He was hard working, reliable, caring, a diplomatic father and teacher, and devoted to everything he was committed to. He had married young, nearly right out of high school, and he and his wife would have lived a long happy life together, had she survived her battle with cancer not five years ago.

Now, after five years of not being involved with anyone romantically, he was ready to reconsider his life in a new light. But as a complete surprise to him, he would never have thought that the journey to rediscovering any semblance of romantic feelings would have started with the usually well dressed, smug former principal of Laketown High standing just across the aisle in the grocery store.

This was their first meeting in a long while, making Bard's stomach flip. He'd worked for the man years ago, they had been good friends. They'd only interacted professionally until his wife's death, in which Thranduil, someone he'd thought to be cold and calculating, became a great source of support. Being widowers was something they suddenly had in common, and Thranduil had immediately shown extreme kindness to him in the wake of tragedy.

Thranduil had gotten a promotion eventually, leaving as principal and moving onto higher system management. They'd kept in contact through email, but eventually over the years had lost any consistent line to each other. Bard had at first felt the loss, but with his grieving over and his job back in full swing, he'd tried not to think much of the other man, though he often did think of calling every once and a while to  catch up.

But seeing him in person after all this time, it was a kick to the head. Of course Thranduil was an attractive guy, but the history teacher hadn't realized just how much he'd missed the other man. And their current situation was definitely not helping.

The blond man turned his gaze to Bard and met his eyes immediately, borderline staring at him, as he had never been one for niceties or fake courtesy, always blunt and to the point. Bard was oddly happy about that, he hadn't changed a bit.

Bard tilted his head in recognition, telling himself to act natural. The sight of his former boss in a t-shirt, jeans and sandals shocked him somewhat, not to mention with his hair down. He hoped that his look of surprise wasn't showing as Thranduil approached.

"Bard Bowman," he greeted, "It's been too long." He then held out his hand and gave a surprisingly warm, if not thin, smile.

Bard took his hand, relaxing a bit now that the other had spoken, and was a little taken aback when Thranduil's other hand reached up to further trap his own in a kind of warm embrace. "...Y-yes, it has been too long. How's it working at the district office, then? Bet you don't miss me sending those trouble makers to your office."

"You're right about that." Thranduil replied, finally letting go of Bard's hand. "Though I do hear about them from time to time, they're usually in classes with Tauriel. You know that Durin boy, Kili? He and Tauriel are dating now."

"I heard about that." Bard said. He still couldn't believe they were talking like this at all, it was so casual, natural even. After years of silence, it was like old times. Especially this kind of talk, which was downright gossip, especially with what he knew about the seemingly ancient tension between the Durins and the Greenleafs. He decided to try and steer the conversation elsewhere, no matter the generation.

"But what is high school without a little teenage antics, right?" Bard said. "Although I do know the struggle. Sigrid's a junior now, I can hardly believe it."

"Congratulations. Has she been researching colleges?" Thranduil asked.

"Yes, we toured a few last summer, and we've got some planned trips in a few weeks now that school's out again. I take all the kids, just to show them around." Bard replied, always proud of his children.

"Good plan. I know Legolas has his eye on somewhere local, but I want to him to reach out. Do you look out of state?"

"Not often, but we have a few places out on the east coast we're looking into."

"If I were smart, I'd ask if you could take him along with you."

"The more the merrier." Bard said genuinely, always an advocate for the well being of his students. He'd had Legolas in three classes now, a long time student by his standards. "I'd welcome him, let him know it's an option. We're leaving in late July."

"I'll tell him you offered. Thank you." The former principal said. "So, are you still in that 'teacher band?'"

"Oh, um, yeah, we're still together." Bard nodded. "Have to replace the lead singers though, Radaghast retired, so we're holding auditions." The band was for fun, they sometimes played at assemblies and special events. "I honestly thought you hated the band."

"Hate is a strong word." Thranduil said. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy you're get up, always the highlight of the assembly for me."

Bard nearly choked out a breath, his "get up" was often times the tightest jeans he could manage and a shirt with the top buttons undone.

"Though I'm glad Radaghast has finally retired. He wasn't always the brightest." Thranduil continued, looking a little pleased at the speechlessness he'd caused.

Bard then nearly dropped his basket, not knowing whether to laugh or gawk.

"I can say that now, we don't work together."

"Since when have you ever refrained from speaking your mind, whether or not its socially appropriate?" Bard said without thinking, immediately regretting it, though Thranduil didn't seem to mind at all. Actually, he looked rather amused.

"Indeed." The older man replied, his light smile turning into a full on smirk. "But you are mistaken, there are many things I refrained from saying to my coworkers."

Bard waited a moment before responding, picking up on the subtext, it was practically written in Thranduil's gaze. Bard's mouth went dry for a moment before he noticed Thranduil was going for his wallet and taking out a card.

"This is my new business card. The second line is my cell number. I'll let you know about Legolas. And maybe we can get together before then and catch up some more."

"Yeah, definitely." Bard said as the older man brushed past, almost as if they had never spoken.

...

The next time they met, they'd arranged it. Thranduil was in town for a district meeting and had asked Bard out for coffee after. Bard had just been grading papers, so he'd agreed.

"Sigrid." He said, popping his head into his oldest daughter's room. She was currently on her computer, doing whatever teenagers do on social networks, while Tilda was lounging on her big sister's bed and drawing in her notebook.

"Yeah Da?" She said turning away from her blog to see him.

"I'm going out for a bit, you're in charge."

"Ok," She answered. Before he could retreat, she asked "Where are you going?"

"Just meeting a...colleague." Bard said without confidence, not wanting to explain himself just yet, unknowing of what exactly the afternoon was even going to entail.

"On the Friday after summer break started?" Sigrid continues, suspicious.

"Where's Da off to?" Bain chimes in from his room across the hall, having heard everything.

"Nowhere! Just out for coffee, I'll be home in a few hours." Bard concluded, walking down the hall.

"That sounds more like a date!" Tilda said, a bright and mischievous smile on her face.

"Are you going on a date?" Bain shouted form the hall, following his father's trail, his sister's close behind.

"If I were, its none of your business." Bard said, getting his keys off the hook on the wall.

"If you end up together, it kind of becomes our business." Sigrid said, right as usual.

Bard had his hand on the doorknob and hesitated opening it, wondering if this was a date he was going on. He turned to his children, all looking expectantly at him. They'd never talked about this kind of possibility before because he'd never dated after their mother. The uncertainty of it all honestly made him a little anxious, and right at that moment, he found himself hoping that his kids would be open to this if it did turn out to be real.

"I'm just meeting a friend." He said. "But if this were a date, hypothetically, what would you think?"

His three children looked at each other, wondering if they all felt the same. Tilda was the one to speak. "If it made you happy, we'd love it."

Bard felt his heart stop, letting go of the door and getting down on one knee. "Truly?" He asked, holding his arms out to his littlest girl.

She fell into his arms and hugged him. "Of course we would! Right?"

His older children smiled. "It's not like we're expecting you to never move on." Sigrid said.

"Well I was, for a time." Bard said, letting his youngest go and getting to his feet again. "I can't say what this is, but I promise to tell you if I'm ever going to start a new relationship, Ok? I need your approval if I'm going to go through with anything."

"Really?" Bain asked.

"Really." He answered. "Like your sister said, it wouldn't just be about me, it would affect you too." He looked at his watch. "Shoot, I've got to go."

...

"Bard." Thranduil greeted. He was sitting at a table for two in the far corner of the shop, far enough away from the noisier customers and goings on of the place.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, the kids waylaid me a bit." Bard said, taking a seat across from Thranduil.

"You'll never need to explain yourself to me when it comes to children." The blond said, reaching out to Bard with a cup of coffee in hand. "If I remember correctly, you take your coffee black."

"Yes, thank you." Bard gave a warm smile, feeling genuinely comforted by the notion and by the fact that Thranduil had remembered his usual. He was surprisingly good at comforting him, always had been. "So, um, you had a meeting this morning?"

Thranduil nodded, taking a sip of his drink. "Budget requests, new building plans, trying to get ahead for the new year." He took a drink of his coffee before continuing. "I called you here to talk about something besides work."

"Ok, what's up?" Bard said, not knowing what else to say.

"I was wondering if you'd like to join me at a party."

The teacher squinted his eyes, an eyebrow raised in question. "A party?"

Thranduil nodded. "It’s a rather lavish gathering of professionals, in a vineyard of all places. We're all in education, I thought of bringing you because of your unique teaching experience."

"What about my experience is unique? I'm just a history teacher."

"Precisely. You're also passionate, well traversed, a father, I believe you're quite an asset when it comes to preaching the quality of education. Far more so then some of our elite staff, who are somewhat personally removed from the schools."

Bard took a moment to process. "Well...thank you."

Thranduil gave a real smile then. "I also just wanted to ask you as my date."

The brunette almost dropped his half finished cup at that. "Your date?"

"That is, if you're willing to put your hat back in the ring." Thranduil continued, sounding light, but the look in his now downcast eyes read otherwise, at least to the teacher.

Bard looked very serious just then, knowing just how much Thranduil was also putting on the line here. He was also a widower, a very famous one at that, at least in their circles. Of course there were only rumors back when he'd been principal, and he rarely talked of his social life with anyone, it was well known that Thranduil had never started dating after his wife's death. Bard wondered just how much had changed in these short years they'd been apart. Just how much he must be feeling in order to even ask him out. It melted his heart a little, to see the strained look in the other man's eyes at his hesitation. But he didn’t waver, no, Thranduil was a man who never wavered.

Bard cleared his throat. "If I'm being completely honest, I think I'd only put my hat in the ring again for you."

It was Thranduil's turn to hesitate, but only briefly as he looked a mix of relieved and moved. "Then it's a date. Monday at 7:00pm. Black tie. I'll pick you up."

Bard nodded curtly, as if they'd just agreed on some kind of PTA motion. "Sounds good."

...

Bard had only been gone an hour and a half by the time he got home, and almost immediately, his children were in toe.

"So?" Bain asked. "Was it a date?"

"Well, sort of." Bard shrugged, finding a place on the couch and lounging. "He asked me to be his date on Monday for some black tie event."

The children were quiet for a moment before Sigrid spoke up. "I thought you had a 'bi' vibe about you. To be honest, my friends were wondering before I was."

Bard was confused until he realized that he'd exposed Thranduil's gender.

"Yeah...about that, I'm sorry I never said anything. It was never really relevant--" He caught the look on Bain's face. It was surprise, to be sure, but a little of something else. Was it hurt? He knew that his family was queer friendly, he had instilled in his children that they be respectful and open to all different kinds of people, but this was a different matter almost entirely. He didn’t know anything about how his children would react to him being in an open relationship with another man.

"Bain," He said, not continuing until his boy looked up at him, "if you have something to say to me, say it now."

Bain looked overwhelmed, almost defensive. "What, I just--I never thought of it like that--" He said after a moment of silent sputtering. "I have gay friends, gay celebrities are cool, I just--this is--I can't really--" He stopped for a second before meeting his father's eyes again. "Who is he?"

Bard took a breath and let it out, wondering if this was a good idea or not, Thranduil didn’t exactly have the best reputation with students.. "Do you remember Principal Greenleaf?"

"Legolas' father?" Sigrid asked.

"The guy with the long blond hair and thick eyebrows?" Bain said.

"Yep." Bard said, waiting for their real responses.

Sigrid merely looked amused, contemplating it for a moment. "He's a bit...authoritative. Can be intimidating sometimes."

"And stuck up." Bain said. "Why are you interested?"

Bard suppressed any anger that could have resulted from Bain's tone and decided to replace it with humor. "Would it be shallow of me to say that I dig those eyebrows?"

That made Bain almost laugh, and his son face palmed. "Groooss."

"Yeah, I doubt you want to have this conversation with me right now." Bard said, getting up from the couch and taking Bain's shoulder. "Just know that we're both interested, and that this might be a thing."

Tilda squealed, having been completely unfazed by anything they had been talking about, just excited with the new twist that may be happening soon.

"You said we had a say in this." Bain said before getting up.

Sigrid elbowed him in the gut, rather harshly. "Give them a chance. And don’t tell me you don’t remember how good Thranduil was to us when mom died." Sigrid looked to her father then. “He helped us, especially you.”

Bard gave his eldest daughter a look for hitting her brother like that, but was also touched by her words. "It's late, you should all be getting settled for bed."

"But it's summer, Da." Tilda said, still hugging his middle.

"Well, these two at least have to be separated." Bard said, looking at both his eldest children in turn. "We'll talk more about this in the morning."

...

"I haven't done this in ages." Bard said after a few minutes into the drive. Thranduil had picked him up, and he'd had left Sigrid in charge again. Last he heard, Sigrid was picking a movie, Bain was doing god knows what in the kitchen, and Tilda had wished him luck on his date.

"Neither have I. Not in ten years." The other man said, his eyes on the road.

After a few more moments of silence, Bard spoke again. "So, you finally decided to just...go for it?"

"I saw the way you looked at me in that grocery store." Thranduil replied, as if it were a full answer.

Bard grunted. "Damn, I thought I was being more discreet."

Another few beats passed.

"I've always found you attractive." Thranduil said.

"Straight to the point with you."

"Aren't I always?"

"I kind of love it, actually. Beats the whole tentative, dramatic high school dating experience, which is the only experience I have."

"Well then, this way," Thranduil began, reaching a hand over to connect with one of Bard's, fingers entwining naturally, "we can get to know each other properly, without the stress of worrying about the future. We both have jobs, houses, kids..."

"So this should be fun." Bard finished.

"Oh, I'm counting on it."

...

The event had gone smoothly, to Bard's relief. He'd initially anticipated that he'd be completely out of his reach, but everyone seemed to love talking with him. Some had even asked for his information so that they could contact him about future projects. He and Thranduil hadn't seen very much of each other, actually, but when they were together, it was with total ease. Even in this new place with no one else he knew there, Bard felt right at home with Thranduil standing beside him.

It was like remembering what being in love felt like.

"That was more fun than I could ever have expected, going to something like that. Thank you for allowing me to be your date." Bard said after Thranduil had driven him home. He'd gotten out of the car, and so had the other man to see him to the door.

"Nonsense, it was my pleasure." Thranduil said, stealing the teacher’s hand for maybe the fifth time that night.

"So, this time again next week?” Bard asked once they reached the house. “What should we do? Where do older men with kids even go for dates nowadays?"

"We could start with dinner. I know a place, best seafood I've ever had."

Bard smiled widely. "My favorite."

They looked up at each other and there was no hiding how they felt. What they'd talked about before the party, about them being able to skip the awkward get-to-know-you stage and the pressure of getting married and having kids, they just got to live in the moment; they just got to experience each other.

Not a second later they were leaning into the each other, Bard angling up to capture Thranduil's lips with his. It was gentle, chaste, but real and perfect. Bard reached his free hand up to brush his fingertips against the nape of the other man's neck, making him shiver, to his delight. Thranduil deepened the kiss by tilting the opposite direction, opening his mouth slightly and wordlessly asking Bard to do the same. It'd been so long since either had felt anything like this, so of course Bard had no objections to it. They were quickly lost in the embrace, slowly kissing, taking in every sensation they could.

There was a natural pause some moments later, but they refused to pull away.

"I'll call you." Bard said against the other man’s lips, smiling wide, prompting a rare, albeit small, smile from the other man.

"I'll be waiting." Thranduil said, before kissing him again, briefly this time, and making his way back to his car.


	2. Family Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer is in full swing. Bard and Thranduil are figuring out how to be together. The kids do some bonding and teenage antis ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, just for my sanity, here's the family situations
> 
> Bard Bowman is a history teacher at Laketown high. His wife died five years before the present events, so he was left to raise their three kids alone. Sigrid is 17 and a junior in high school, Bain is 12 and in middle school, and Tilda is 9 and in elementary school.
> 
> Thranduil Greenleaf is a district manager working from Mirkwood, the neighboring city of the small town. His wife died around fifteen years before present events, then his cousins died and he chose to take Tauriel in. Legolas is 18 and a senior, Tauriel is 17 and a junior. 
> 
> I don't exactly know what the feud between Thranduil and Thorin is, btu there is one, and it's kind of ridiculously fun tension.  
> The Durin's are wealthy business owners, though Thorin, Bilbo, Dis and Fili and Kili live in Laketown, though they were originally from the city of Erebor. Long story short, Thorin and Bilbo weren't down for a long distance relationship, so they met in the middle. Fili and Kili were young enough that Dis though moving to a smaller town would benefit them, so they all moved to Laketown.

It was a hot day, perfect for the beginning of summer. Bard and Thranduil were out planning for the college scouting road trip, which was now a full Bowman and Greenleaf family affair, so Bard had left Sigrid in charge at home again. She was watching Bain and Tilda play outside with water balloons, getting ready to join them once she took her shoes off, when her phone chirped. Kneeling on the floor, she glanced over to the couch where her phone was vibrating and saw that it was a Facebook message. Swiping at the screen absentmindedly while still occupied with her shoes, she saw that it was from Legolas.

Sigrid and Legolas had known each other for quite some time, ever since elementary school, but had never been good friends. She'd been wondering how their dads' relationship was going to affect that. She settled down on the floor to read the message.

“ _Hey Sigrid, got a minute_?” Legolas' message read.

“ _Yeah, whats up_?” She replied.

“ _Has your dad told you about us (my dad, Tauriel and me) going with you on your college tour thing_?”

“ _Yeah! xD It’ll be way more fun with more people, I can’t wait_ ”

“ _Oh, cool. Well, Tauriel was wondering if we could meet up before then, she wants to meet your younger siblings_.”

“ _Oh, definitely. Well, I have work on the weekends, but any other day is good. You could come over right now if you wanted to_." She leaned up and took a picture of her sibling through the window, they were playing catch and trying not to break the balloon. " _A war will be waging soon enough_.”

“ _Lol, I’ll ask T..._ " It was only a moment before he continued. " _omg she's getting her swimsuit and water gun. Watch out world, we're sharp shooters_."

" _I'd expect nothing less from the stars of our school archery team. I'll warn the others_."

" _We'll be there in around twenty minutes_."

" _Kk ^_^_ "

Sigrid put her phone back on the couch and glanced out the window again. She could hardly believe it, Legolas and Tauriel were coming to her house, and for a water fight of all things. She rarely hung out with people in her class, let alone invite them over to do something she'd only ever done with her siblings before. It's not like she was shy, just not the most social. This should be interesting.

…

Bard was meandering through some racks of brightly-colored t-shirts around the camping equipment. They'd initially gone grocery shopping, but found themselves wandering around the shopping center after having been first sidetracked by the Barnes and Noble.

Bard found the neon green t-shirts and called Thranduil over with a silly grin on his face. "Let's all get these and match!"

Thranduil looked sideways at his boyfriend, looking away just as quickly. "Good god." He said in disgust, making Bard laugh. He shook his head. "You're lucky you're handsome, or I'd walk away and leave you here."

"Thank god for my genetics then, and for your shallowness." Bard said, putting the shirt back where it belonged. "Once when the kids were way younger, we all went to Disneyland wearing matching bright yellow shirts. It was mostly so I wouldn't lose Bain, he was prone to wander."

Thranduil just scoffed. "I would never subject my children to such cruelty."

"Don't tell me you've never lost Legolas before, I've lost all three of mine at least once."

"Lost him? He was always traipsing at my heels! I don't think I could have lost him if I tried. Tauriel, on the other hand, she was a handful, but she hadn't become my full responsibility until she'd grown out of running off."

Bard smiled, thinking of Legolas and Tauriel as children was pretty amusing. "I take it you weren't terribly good with small children."

Thranduil gave him a sideways glance, something most people would take as prudish, but Bard knew better. It was the closest thing to a shrug Thranduil could conjure.

"I was good enough," Thranduil said. "But I was always more of the provider, while my wife was the nurturer."

"Hold on, I've seen you nurture. You can rise to the occasion, take on the challenge." Bard said, meaning to be reassuring, but Thranduil didn't seem swayed.

"I sometimes wish it weren't a challenge." Thranduil finished, turning, signaling it was time for them to move on. Bard followed him closely, not done talking. Thranduil wasn't one to have heart to hearts often, the history teacher had known that far before they'd started dating, but he wasn't going to end the conversation on that note.

"You are who you are, there's no shame in having certain things about parenting be a challenge." Bard wanted to say more, but somehow it didn't seem entirely appropriate. They had been in their version of a relationship for a few weeks now, seeing each other as often as they could and just being together, but at the same time, he didn't really know what that meant for them emotionally.

Thranduil kept his brisk walking speed, but reached between them and took Bard's hand. "You've done very well with your children as a single father. I feel you especially have a lot on your shoulders because of your position as an instructor, you have eighty if not a hundred teenagers to teach and be a role model for, not just three."

They walked out into the street, the warm air in stark contrast to the air conditioning inside. Still, Bard kept a tight hold on Thranduil's hand.

"True," He said, "but that's the part of my job I'm good at, I'm a teacher for a reason."

"And I'm at the district office for a reason. How you find a boring, old, office man like me attractive, I have no idea."

"Neither do I, in the slightest." Bard made them stop walking by taking Thranduil the shoulders briefly, something he doubted anyone had done to him in a long time, if ever. He ignored the slight glare in the other man's eyes in order to hold his ground.

"Maybe it's because you're not boring or old or just an office man. You're incredible at your job, you're cultured, a little particular, but definitely one of my favorite people to talk to. And even if you don't show it like most people, you do care. You're selling yourself short, love."

Thranduil's gaze softened a bit, though he didn't speak for another long moment, instead initiating their walk again, hand in hand. "How do you find the energy to be as kind as you are?"

"I don't know, I definitely don't get it from sleeping."

"Do you have trouble sleeping?"

"Have since I was a kid, never was very good at it."

"How you manage to function at all is a mystery to me."

"How you can manage to be in charge of so many operations is beyond me. Your managerial skills are insane, I wouldn't know the first thing about leading a group of people."

"You are a natural leader, you would find your way easily, at anything you applied yourself to."

"You have nothing but good things to say about me." Bard said, turning to smirk at his boyfriend and nudging him with an elbow. "What do you want from me, huh?"

"Well, I may have an idea that could help you sleep."

Although Bard had expected that kind of response, he could still feel heat rise in his chest at the thought. "I don't have a come back for that, I just suddenly want you in my bed."

"Just what I was aiming for."

Thranduil's phone chimes, interrupting their rather promising banter. He moves to check it and sees he'd gotten a text from Legolas. "It seems that my children have made their way to your house."

They reach they're car parked on the street and Bard takes out his keys. "Oh? Are they all together?"

"I assume so."

"Last I heard, Bain and Tilda were filling up water balloons."

"Do you want to make sure your house hasn't flooded?"

"Yes, let's."

...

It was the Bowmans against the Greenleafs. They'd split the equipment equally and both teams were just now running out of balloons.

"I have to reload." Bane said, manning their water gun. "But they're waiting for me to go out there."

"If Sigrid distracts them, maybe I can cover you." Tilda said, peeking from the side of the house they were hiding behind. The Greenleaf's were huddling behind a tree, but were far closer to the hose.

"Maybe all we need is a big distraction." Sigrid said, looking towards the street. "I already called for back-up five minutes ago, they should be on their way."

…

"Maybe we should just ambush them?" Legolas said, pointing his gun at the hose that was currently out in the open.

"That would be great if we knew where they just slunk off to." Tauriel said, having just noticed that the others had retreated farther back along the house.

"Maybe there's another hose in the backyard." Legolas said. He cautiously went over to the hose he was guarding and refilled the water gun.

Suddenly, all three Bowman's were coming at them from both sides of the house. Legolas stood his ground and dodged a balloon from Tilda before he was met in the back with one from Sigrid. Tauriel braved Bain's shooting and got him twice. Legolas chased Tilda into the backyard, Bain in toe, until everyone was running around in circles.

Neither Legolas or Tauriel payed mind to the car that had parked across the street until its two passengers started charging at them. Tauriel was hit in the back of the shoulder by a balloon before she realized anyone was behind her. She whirled around to see the Durin brothers attacking.

"We heard someone needed reinforcements." Kili said, immediately shooting at Legolas.

"Traitor!" Tauriel yelled, laughing as she ran after him. "You're going to pay for that!"

"I sure hope so." He said, his words dissolving into screams as he ran.

Fili ducked out and ran for the hose, having a nozzle of his own. If there had been a few spared of being soaking wet before, it wasn't going to stay that way for long.

…

"Oh my god." Bard said as he drove up into his own driveway. There was a war going on in front of his house with more than twice as many teenagers as her left there with, he had no other response but to be overwhelmed.

Thranduil looked at the sight and was visibly conflicted. "I can guess who invited the Durin brothers."

"Ok, no fighting about anything related to your family feuds in my house, got it?" Bard said, eyeing Thranduil. The Durin's were always welcome in his house, they often came by for tutoring or to work on projects with Sigrid. If Legolas and Tauriel were also going to be frequenting his home, then chances were that their paths were going to cross at times.

The older man nearly rolled his eyes at him, but Thranduil nodded. "I won't bring anything but harmony to your realm, I can set aside my dislike of the boy for now."

Bard wasn't satisfied with that, because if Tauriel and Kili became serious, Thranduil would have to do more than tolerate the presence of a Durin in his household.

"Let's hope that this is Sigrid's only interest when it comes to throwing parties." He said before looking over to his boyfriend and putting on a brave face, taking out his phone and waving it around. "Into the fray we go, I'm taking pictures."

Thranduil laughed at the teacher's wit and followed him out.

"Hi, Da!" Tilda greeted eagerly. "Look who's joined us!"

Bard smiled at his youngest and snapped a few pictures of the battlefield that was his front yard. "Yes, I see you've had quite the afternoon." He looked over to the Durins, some of his most rambunctious students, always a pleasure to have around. "Hello Fili, Kili."

"Hey, Mr. Bowman." Fili said casually, as if his clothes weren't completely soaked.

"Mr. Greenleaf." Kili greeted Thranduil, a little less cheerful than normal, completely aware of his current state and a bit self conscious in front of the already openly disapproving godfather of his girlfriend.

"Boys." Thranduil said, regarding both Fili and Kili together.

"Since you all need to dry off before stepping into my house," Bard began, "how about I start dinner? Everyone's invited of course."

The kids looked pleased, and Bard avoided Thranduil's gaze as they stepped into the house. 

"You're staying for dinner, aren't you?" He asked Thranduil, possibly the most loaded question he'd ever asked.

Thranduil looked as if he might growl, but stepped into the kitchen with Bard nonetheless. 

"Again, you're lucky you're so handsome."

...

The evening had gone on swimmingly, if Bard had anything to say about it. The kids all got along very well. Even Legolas seemed to be enjoying himself, and Bard knew he could be a little slow to warm up. Thranduil remained civil and he'd even asked the Durin's about their ideas about college. Both had given confident answers, though Bard wasn't surprised seeing as their family probably had their colleges and course studies practically picked out since they were born. 

The Durin's had gone home at a reasonable hour, and now the rest of the kids were in the living room, everyone trying to beat Tilda at some video game she played all the time. Legolas was becoming more and more competitive, the adults could especially hear him from the dining room, where they were quietly sitting and talking. 

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Bard asked, "Kili can be very agreeable, no matter what you have against his family. He obviously has enough sense to treat Tauriel as well as he does."

"You're right, and I agree with you, but I doubt you've experienced the anxiety that comes when your children decide to date, regardless of their gender." Thranduil glanced towards the direction of the living room. "I bet you don't even realize what's going on between Fili and Sigrid."

Bard blinked. "Sigrid and...what? Is there a thing going on?"

"As you said with Kili, these boys have a good amount of decency, but it seems Fili is so decent that he's yet to even entertain the notion that your eldest would be interested."

"How can you tell?"

"By the way he looks at her." Thranduil said, as if it were the simplest question to have asked him. A quiet beat passed between them, Thranduil looking contemplative, very nearly in another place, before he began again. "Fili reminds me of his uncle, especially in his mannerisms. Even with my distaste for their company, I can still admire what makes Thorin a great leader, even a father figure."

"What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Fili Durin is a good student, a fine young man, and he has a great respect for you. But even that isn't going to stop you from worrying about Sigrid if they start dating."

"I think you'll find that we worry about different things, love. I trust Sigrid to be careful. There's a reason she hasn't dated yet, because she hasn't found anyone worthy of her time. When she does decide on someone, he'll then be worth my time as well." Bard took in a quick breath, And now that I'm thinking about it, they may actually be good for each other."

Thranduil just stared for a moment, looking unconvinced, but  all the same. "Again, your open mind astounds me."

"I can only imagine that having a closed mind would be a boring way to live." Bard said, scooting just a little closer to the other man, taking one of his hands. "Nothing new would happen. I know your mind is at least a little open, because otherwise, we wouldn't be here."

"Quite right." Thranduil said, now fully distracted from continuing any form of intelligent conversation. He raised Bard's hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. 

Bard leaned in then, pulling their hands back and kissing him full on the lips. As much time as they tried spending together, they hadn't really had a lot of time _together._  Even during the summer, being a father was a full time job, and dating proved a bit more difficult than anticipated. But then again, they'd decided that there needn't be any rush between them, so moments like these were simple pleasures meant to be a promise. 

But even with the knowledge and consent of both to take things slowly, it didn't negate the fact that both men had urges.

"I'd ask you to stay over tonight..." Bard said when they separated for air, "but, um..."

"That's still a hurdle we've yet to jump, I get it." Thranduil said. "It's a bigger adjustment to go through, especially with the children as old as they are."

"Should we, I don't know, talk about it with them?" Bard asked, completely unsure of how to settle any discomforts he had about potentially having Thranduil over.

"I don't think so, at least not unless it becomes a serious issue." Thranduil leaned back in his chair. "Maybe it's time for us to go."

"Alright." Bard nodded, standing as Thranduil did. He caught the other man's arm before leaving for the next room just to get one last kiss in. Another insecurity he had, one he wasn't entirely happy with but thought was necessary at the moment, was doing anything affectionate in front of the kids. He knew they approved for the most part at least, but wasn't entirely enough. He didn't want to seem like he was trying to replace their mother, and they hadn't gotten to know Thranduil terribly well yet, so it just left Bard unsure of what to do, so he kept their affection private. 

They walked into the living room together to see that Tilda was still reining champion, Legolas in a heap on the floor, defeated. Bain, on the other hand, was struggling under his big sister's weight, as she was sitting on him and talking with Tauriel. 

"I see Sigrid's won the wrestling match again." Bard said, unable to hide his smile.

"You all just wait until I hit puberty, then I won't be losing to anyone." Bain grumbled.

"You'll still lose to Tauriel." Legolas said, sitting up. "You'll need strength and strategy to stand a chance."

Tilda yawned, though tried and failed to hide it. Bard went over to her. "Sounds like its past someone's bed time."

"I can stay up..." She tried to protest, though the moment he kneeled beside her she slumped into his embrace half asleep.

"We should be getting home." Thranduil said, getting the attention of Tauriel and Legolas.

"Right." Legolas said, getting to his feet and looking around. "Where are my keys?"

Bain immediately looked away, something only Tauriel noticed right away. 

"Bain..." Tauriel warned teasingly. "Where'd you hide them?"

"What? I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh, where are they little brother?" Sigrid joined in, jabbing him in the side where his best tickle spot was. He waled and squirmed, still unable to get away.

"Stop!" Bain laughed. "They're-they're just under-" He tried to push Sigrid away. "They're under the table!"

Legolas ducked down and found them under the coffee table and smirked. "You'll have to do better then that next time."

"Come on, say goodbye to the Greenleafs." Bard said, standing again with his arm around his youngest. "We'll see you in a few days then for the trip."

Thranduil nodded, at the front door and waiting for Legolas and Tauriel. "I'll probably call you tomorrow."

"Ok." Bard said. He looked over to Legolas ad Tauriel after they'd said goodbye to the others. "Today was fun, yeah?"

"Definitely." Tauriel said. 

"Good." Bard said. "See you all in a few days then."

Once they'd gone, Bard directed Tilda up to her room, Bain and Sigrid not far behind.

"Tired you out, did they?" He asked his youngest, and she nodded. 

"It was a lot of fun." She yawned again. They reached her room and Bard left her to get ready before coming back to tuck her in. She always reminded him that she was getting older, every chance she got, but that wouldn't stop him from saying goodnight, especially now when she really did have a bedtime while Sigrid and Bain usually stayed up longer anyway. 

Tilda was in her pajamas and under the covers by the time Bard got back. He sat on her bedside and touched the side of her face, pulling back a few strands of hair behind her ear. 

"Da, can I ask you something? About Thranduil?" She said.

Bard was only slightly caught off guard by the question, but answered without much hesitation. "Yes, anything."

"You and Thranduil are still dating, right?"

She looked so concerned, Bard couldn't understand why. He noticed that both Bain and Sigrid had heard the question too and were now lingering outside of the doorway.

"Yes, of course we are." He said. "What gave you the idea we weren't?"

"Well," Tilda started, thinking for a beat, "You don't look like your dating. Like you don't kiss or anything."

Bard froze at that, trying hard not to stare blankly into space. "Wha-why, that's not--" He stammered. "That doesn't mean we're not dating. And you shouldn't worry yourself about that."

"But I want you to be happy." Tilda said. 

Bard sighed in defeat and leaned down, kissing his girl on the cheek. "I am happy. And we do, kiss, I mean." He looked at all three of his children, Bain and Sigrid now just in the doorway. "Just when you're not looking. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Bain already looked uncomfortable, while Sigrid looked like she understood. 

"Da, don't put yourself down like that. We have to get used to this, too." Sigrid said. "And today was really fun, I think our families are going to get along great."

Bard smiled widely at that, getting up to hug and kiss her as well. "I'm so glad you think so." He looked over to Bain, pulling him into an embrace as well.

"You kids are my world, you know that, right?" Bard said, getting nods from them all.

He soon left them to get ready for bed himself, and for the first time in a long time, felt as if his family was not as small as it used to be. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up being more of a family chapter, but hey, the premise revolves around two single dads, so I guess that was a given xD


	3. The End of Summer Starts the New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new school year begins while everyone seems to figuring out how to handle their love lives.

Five years earlier:

Bard had been by his wife’s side for weeks before she passed. The school had given his classes a long term substitute who had continued until the end of the semester. Unfortunately, his children had still needed to go to school up until the last few days before their mother had passed. He'd taken leave for the rest of the year and planned on coming back after summer. All three kids were taken out of school for some time.

It was only a week after his wife's funeral that he found Thranduil at his doorstep one day.

"Thr-Thranduil." Bard said, very surprised that his boss would be visiting at all. "I, uh, wasn't expecting anyone."

"I know, and excuse me for not calling first.” Thranduil said, evenly as ever, though with a bit more sensitivity than usual. “I'm not here for any other reason than to offer my help. If there is anything you may need, I personally would like to be your friend in this."

Bard stared for a moment, remembering suddenly that Thranduil, out of all his colleagues, actually knew from experience what he we going through. He’d only heard from other’s, but it was common knowledge that Thranduil had lost his wife to cancer years ago.

”Oh, that’s extremely kind of you.” The teacher finally stammered. He sighed, locking eyes with the older man, finding an odd, yet welcomed sense of solace and relaxed a little. “Would you like to come in? I'm sorry I seem so frazzled, I don't think I've slept in months. I haven't talked to anyone but distant family or my children in days."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me. I know it's hard to hear when anyone says 'I understand,' but I truly mean it when I say," In a gesture of complete trust, the school principal held out his hand. ”I understand." He finished.

This wasn’t the kind of gesture for shaking hands, his palm was up, which made it seem less formal. Bard, intrigued with how comforting this ridged man had just made himself, took his hand. Thranduil grasped it warmly, more so than Bard thought possible.

"You do, don't you?" Bard said faintly, reveling in a feeling he would soon depend on. He knew he could be honest with this man, someone who truly understood, and that he would feel better for it. He sighed heavily. ”I’ve done nothing but cry myself to fitful nightmares. All I want to do is...scream, run, disappear…” Bard looked over his shoulder, scanning what he could see inside the house. “I shouldn't be saying any of this, my kids are home."

"Your feelings are more than valid. Though I know what it's like to put the children above yourself. I know I clung to the role a little too tightly at a time, it was the only reason I felt I had left."

Bard nodded. Thranduil released his hand and they both were silent for a moment.

”So,” Bard started, “whenever I need to talk, you're inviting me to ask you for help?"

The older man nodded curtly. ”I will answer when I can, preferably after school hours."

“Right.” The younger said, the request sounding perfectly reasonable. But for the first time in his life, Bard saw a rather sarcastic sneer on his boss’ face.

”I’m only joking.” Thranduil added. “Whenever you need, I will answer, even at the strangest of times."

Bard tried not to look too confused. He almost laughed, he couldn’t have predicted this kind of behavior from this man. It was actually quite amusing. ”So I'll ring you at three in the morning every Tuesday?"

"I'll set an alarm.” Thranduil offered with another small smile. He looked at his watch. “I have some work to go over tonight, I only meant to step in for a minute. Please do stay in touch."

"Will do. And thank you.” Bard said, having the urge to shake hands, like after most of their meetings. Instead, Thranduil gave him one last meaningful look, a pat on the arm, and turned to leave.

 

Present day:

“How is school already starting again next week?” Legolas said. “I feel like I’ve been running around all summer.”

“You most definitely have been.” Sigrid said. “It’s not easy being a big brother.”

“Hey, they’re your siblings, I just seem to be borrowing them, apparently.”

The Durin brothers shared a room and everyone was packed in. Kili and Tauriel were huddled together on the edge of Kili’s bed looking at Tauriel’s pictures from the college trip. Sigrid and Fili were sitting on the floor and Legolas was lounging in one of their desk chairs.

“We went on a lot of tours, but mostly just walked around some campus’ by ourselves and saw the local sights.” Tauriel was explaining. “Oh, that’s little Tilda posing with the Matador statue.”

“She’s absolutely adorable.” Kill said. Leaning back on his hands, he looked around the room at everyone else. “So, were Mr. Bowman and Mr. Greenleaf well behaved on this road trip?”

Fili laughed at the question while both Legolas and Sigrid paled.

“That was completely uncalled for.” Legolas said, pretending to gag. He got up, grabbed the pillow from Kili’s bed, and hit him with it.

“Hey! I’m only curious.” Kili said, grabbing the pillow and holding it to his chest in defense, though the smile indicated no regretful thoughts in the slightest.

“For your information, we had two hotel rooms in every place we stayed. All they did was act like responsible parents. It was kind of cute, actually.” Sigrid said. “They held hands sometimes.”

“How intoxicatingly sweet.” Kili said with a snicker. “At least they’re not like Uncle Thorin and Bilbo, I’m always walking in on _something_.”

“I think it’s nice.” Fili said. “They look happy together, and they seem to make a good team. Uncle Bilbo says that’s important in a relationship.”

“I just wish Thorin would let us choose where we want to go to college.” Kili said somewhat under his breath.

“You do have a choice, Kee.” Fill replied, looking up at his brother from where he was sitting on the floor. “Either raise the money and go wherever you want, or be a full ride legacy.”

“Being a legacy sounds fun!” Sigrid chimed in. “I thought you were excited about that. I remember you saying you wanted to join his same fraternity.”

“Yeah, I don't know anymore…” Kili trailed off, trying not to look too worried as he leant into Tauriel’s side.

“Long distance relationships probably aren’t _that_ bad.” Legolas said, not without some attitude, earning him a punch in the arm by Tauriel and a look from Kili that meant he didn’t want to talk about it.

 

Sigrid decided to change the subject. “Are we all going to the first football game of the season next week?"

"We definitely should, we're playing Gondor, I have friends on that team." Legolas said. 

Tauriel snickered. “You can always hang with us at the back of the bleachers.”

Legolas scoffed. “And throw popcorn at the pep band? Sounds like an extraordinary use of my time.”

“We can through popcorn at your parents too, if you want.” Fili said, getting a laugh from Kili. He turned to Sigrid. “We have a lot of friends in the pep band, and there’s a place up stairs by the sound booth where no one will be able to see us. It’s perfect for messing with people.”

“But how come you aren’t in the pep band? You’re an amazing musician.” Sigrid said, making Fili momentarily speechless at the complement.

“String instruments aren’t the most vital in a band meant to be insanely loud and obnoxious.” Kili said for Fili. “Also, it’s much more fun messing around with Ori, I like to sneak up on him, he’s really easy to scare, especially when he’s so focused on playing his clarinet.”

“You’re lucky he doesn’t get you back.” Tauriel said. “You know he could probably hack into your school email and send embarrassing notes to your teachers or something.”

Kili paused, then turned to her seriously. “Never give him that idea.”

“So, uh,” Fili said, looking to Sigrid, “you want to join us at the game?”

“Sounds like fun.” She said. “I usually just hang around with Da anyway.”

“I think he’ll be busy enough.”

…

“So, work starts again for you tomorrow?” Thranduil asked.

It was late for a school night, but Bard had been sleeping better as of late, so talking late with his boyfriend over tea didn’t concern him very much.

“Yep, I’m pretty excited.” Bard said. “Something about lesson plans and looking over my notes for rewrites gets me in a good mood.”

“My God.” Thranduil said in mock disgust. “I’m surprised you've never won ‘Best Teacher of the Year.’ You’re dedication to this class is almost sickening.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should, we need to find more people like you.” Thranduil paused, really taking in the sight of Bard for a moment. “Even after everything you’ve gone through, you still find joy in your work. You still have that passion, you never let it go.”

“It’s what I love.” Bard said, shrugging, still slightly shocked whenever getting praise from Thranduil.

“It’s amazing.” He continued.

Bard smiled and they sat in content silence for another moment. He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized the time was one in the morning. He had to get up at around 6:30.

“Damn, I best be getting off to bed soon.” Bard said, reluctantly. “You…don’t have work tomorrow, do you?”

“Not until late.” Thranduil said, watching as Bard got up from his seat and walked towards him.

“I’d hate to send you away so late.” Bard said. He wasn’t nervous about asking Thranduil to stay, he was actually quite confident about it. Or maybe he was too tired to argue.

Thranduil gave him a small smile. “How courteous of you.”

“Mmhm.” He hummed back, taking the other man's hand and leading him to his room. It was on the first floor, all the kids were upstairs. 

Bard closed the door behind them and sat on the bed to take his shoes off.

“You really want me to stay?” Thranduil asked, just making sure.

Bard looked up at him. “Yes. And for your information, I’m not being courteous, I’m being completely selfish.” He kicked off his shoes and got on his feet again to look Thranduil in the eye. He raised a hand to the other man’s face tenderly. “I’ve wondered for far too long what it would feel like just to lie next to you.”

He knew Thranduil understood him perfectly just as their lips met. It was a slow, thorough kiss, and Bard could feel Thranduil’s hands move up to the hem of his shirt, fingertips grazing the skin of his hips. Bard had forgotten what touches like that did to him, and within seconds, his own hands were pressing up against Thranduil’s back, pressing them close together.

“Bard…” Thranduil moaned against his lips.

Bard leaned back enough to rest his head in the crook of the other man’s neck. “Just hold me tonight?” He asked, his voice muffled by against Thranduil’s skin.

The older man held their embrace. “Of course, my love. I’ll stay.”

…

Monday morning at the high school office was usually a busy day. New students needed directions, parents were asking questions, the phone was always ringing, the usual. Also like usual, Alfrid, the receptionist, was ignoring most of the phone calls because he was already tired of asking the same damn questions.

Though things were going to be a tad unusual when his former boss walked in.

"Mr. Greenleaf?" Alfrid nearly doubled back. “What a surprise. W-what brings you here?”

"Good morning, Alfrid” The former principal said as curtly as ever. “Bard Bowman needs these papers. Make sure they get to him promptly, preferably before third period begins."

The confused receptionist took the folder and nodded. ”Yes, sir."

“Whose in charge around here these days, anyway?” Thranduil said, looking towards the principal’s door and reading the name there. “Ah, Professor Grey is still the interim principal. Well, it's better than that crass Masterson.” Thranduil smiled a little wryly, he'd always hated who they replaced him with. 

And with that, Thranduil was out the door. Just then, Gandalf Grey walked in.

“...Was that Thranduil Greenleaf?” The old man asked.

“…Yes.” Alfrid replied, looking through the folder. “And he had these to give to Bard.”

“What is it?”

“Looks like classwork. Copies of notes for one of his classes. But why would Thranduil have them? I didn’t even know they were still talking to each other.”

"Neither did I. Well, looks like Bard will need those soon. Would you walk them over to him then? Maybe he can shed some light on this."

Alfrid reluctantly got up from his seat. He didn’t much like Bowman, but he might as well go find out what this was about. Beats answering the phone.

…

Bard was looking through his bag when he realized he was missing a folder. He cursed and looked at the clock to see if he could maybe jet to his house quickly. There was three minutes break period left and there was no way he could swing that.

Just then, Alfrid was at the door and coming in.

“Hey Bowman, these are for you. You must have left these somewhere?” The receptionist said.

Bard hadn’t the faintest idea what these could possibly be until taking the folder and seeing that it was exactly what he’d been looking for.

”Oh, yes, but how did they end up in the office? I just now realized that I'd left them at home."

Alfrid’s eyebrows shot up. ”Um, Thranduil Greenleaf actually came in gave them to us."

Bard stared at the papers for a moment, trying to think of an appropriate way to respond. If he knew anything about the staff here, it was how fast gossip traveled.

”Ah.” He ended up with. “Totally makes sense.”

“So, you didn't ask him to get them for you, he just…knew you’d left them?”

Bard looked up and saw that his students were walking up to the building. ”Ah, well, as much as I'd love to chat, my students are trickling in, so maybe at lunch--"

"We can talk outside--" Alfrid offered.

"I'd rather not just yet."

Alfrid practically spat, but was reminded himself not to, he’d been turned in for that before. ”Something suspicious is going on here. If you don't tell me now, I'll have to spread a rumor or something, you know how we office studs like to talk—”

“Alright. Fine.” Bard said, stepped outside while his students wandered in. He never liked bargaining with Alfrid, but if he had to dismantle a staff rumor, he’d loose his mind.

“Thranduil and I...we're seeing each other. It's been a few months now. That’s it. He probably noticed that I’d left the folder on the kitchen table or something and brought it over.”

Alfrid squinted, frustrated by the lack of detail. “You’re both gay?”

“Ok, out.” Bard said, pushing the lazy receptionist away from his classroom.

…

The nights were beginning to get colder, and the first football game of the season was well attended with people in color coordinated sweaters and hats and scarves.

Thranduil and Bard were sitting together in the bleachers with Tilda and Bain, as the rest of their brood had wandered off in different direction. Legolas was standing on the track talking with some friends from Gondor High, while Sigrid and Tauriel had gone somewhere with Kili and Fili and were out of their site.

“So, are you going to ignore that the fact that Thorin Durin is sitting five feet away from us or…” Bard said, leaning close to Thranduil’s ear so that no one else could hear them.

“Do you want to see him spontaneously combust?” Thranduil asked in a loud whisper. “Because I’m not sure his husband would be too happy about that.”

“I’m just saying, this would be a great, open space to civilly converse with each other. Hell, I could just go over there and talk to Bilbo.”

“Go ahead, I’ll stay right here and see to your children.”

“Well maybe I will.” Bard said, getting up and making his way to the Bilbo and Thorin. 

He'd known Bilbo for years, as he used to be the Home Ec. teacher at Laketown High before he and a few other arts and extra curricular teachers were laid off in a brutal round of budget cuts the year before. Bard and Bilbo usually met once or twice a month for lunch because they'd been so used to seeing each other at work, but somehow hadn't talked over the summer. 

“Hey there Bilbo, Thorin.” He greeted, nodding to both of them and getting Bilbo’s attention immediately.

“Bard Bowman, where have you been?” The curly haired man said, standing to shake to give the man a brief hug.

Thorin stood as well, less enthusiastic then his other half, but still very courteous. “How was the first week of lessons, then? I’ve heard from Kili that your classes are still his favorite to stay awake for.”

“Good to know." Bard replied. "And everything’s started out fine. I’d say its the start of a promising year.”

“Wonderful.” Bilbo said. “I here our boys have been spending quite some time with your troop.”

“Yeah, seems that way.” Bard shrugged. “I’ve got a full house more often now, and that’s a man with three kids talking.”

Bilbo laughed at that, also earning a smile from Thorin.

“Now, let me get this straight." Bilbo said. "You and Thranduil Greenleaf are seeing each other? I heard it from the boys and didn’t believe them at first because you hadn't told me yourself.”

Bard smiled. “Well, you can hear it from me now, and its completely true.”

Bilbo looked happy and surprised all at once. “Well, I’m glad to see its done you some good.”

Bard was almost embarrassed to be talking about this. “God, can you really tell?”

“Just in the brightness of your smile.” Bilbo beamed. “It’s wonderful to see you this happy again.”

Just then, Tilda popped up from behind Bard, grabbing onto his jacket. “Da!”

“Yes, sweetheart?” He asked, bringing his arm around her.

“Can I go get a snack at the snack bar?”

“Only if Bain goes with you.” Bard said, his free hand reaching for his wallet to take out some cash for her.

“Yes!” She cheered, running back to Bain once Bard hadn’t her over the money.

“They’re so precious at that age.” Bilbo said. Just then, a popcorn kernel flew by his nose and he flinched. “What?!”

A few more flew by the group, disorienting Bard and Bilbo for a moment before Thranduil walked up to them.

“I think your boys still might be at that precious age.” He said, looking above them to see the sound booth ledge. They were obviously hiding, but there was no denying where the attack had come from. The adults soon heard the sound of feet shuffling away.

“They’ll run before we can catch them in the act.” Thorin said.

“If we start now, we can find them at the bottom of the stairs.” Thranduil replied.

The two rivals looked at each other for a beat before briskly making their way up the bleachers to the sounds booth.

Both Bard and Bilbo watched after them in disbelief.

“Are they going to…” Bilbo started.

“…Ambush the twins together?" Bard said, hardly believing it himself. "Yes, I think they might.”

…

“Oh shit, they’re looking straight at us!” Kili said, ducking down. He took Tauriel’s hand. “We should go, now!”

Just as Kili and Tauriel started leaving, Fili took Sigrid’s arm to stop her from following. They looked over the railing to see Thorin and Thranduil moving towards them.

“They’ll get caught and never suspect we were with them.” Fili said, eating the ammunition that Kili had hastily left behind.

“Have you betrayed your brother like this before?” Sigrid laughed.

“Only when he’s stupid enough to run into the line of fire. There’s a reason I’m the oldest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that ending isn't too abrupt xD I think there's one more chapter for this story, it was originally just going to be three chapters, but I want to incorporate prom because I am trash. Thank for reading!


	4. Prom Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prom is coming up and there are lots of feelings to figure out but all parties.

Bard felt slightly like a teenager again. At the moment, he was lying at the foot of his bed, staring at the ceiling, and on the phone and talking to none other than his boyfriend. They hadn’t seen each other for a few days, both swamped with work. Finals were coming up at Laketown High and things shaking up at the administrators office, so getting together unfortunately was less than a priority.

“Can we go for coffee on Saturday at least? I have papers to read all this weekend, but I want to see you.” Bard said, lying down and talking giving his voice a bit of a grumble. When Thranduil didn’t answer right away, the teacher imagined him giving that sly smile he seemed to have reserved only for when they were alone.

“What?” Bard pressed on, hearing the low chuckle from the other end of the call.

“Nothing.” Thranduil finally said. “I’m just thinking of you in your room, sulking.”

“And you think that’s funny?”

“I think it's cute.”

Bard sat up and sighed dramatically. “Don’t you miss me?”

“Every second that passes without you here, my love.” Thranduil replied, his sarcasm so dry that even Bard had a hard time distinguishing it as serious or not. Either way, Thranduil’s particular vocabulary and tendency to be dramatic did have a special place in his heart.

“Don’t play with me. Can we meet for coffee tomorrow or not?”

Thranduil took pause for a moment before answering. “Tell you what, if you can make it to my office, we can spend my lunch hour there.”

Bard nearly let his jaw hang open the second he heard what Thranduil had just said. Composing himself, he fell back onto the bed, this time with his head on the pillows. “Well that puts a few images in my head.” He teased, stretching out his long limbs. “I’ve always wanted to see your office.”

“And I’ve always wanted to see you in my office.” Was Thranduil’s reply, his voice suddenly huskier.

“Kinky.”

“I won’t deny it.”

Bard laughed at that. “You never do.”

The teacher heard a soft laugh on the other end. “So, my office at lunch on Saturday?”

“Yes. I’ll see you in two days then.” The teacher sighed one last big one before. “I love you.”

Bard wasn’t fazed by the silence that passed. They’d said their “I love you’s” before, just not so casually. Bard was waiting for the day that it would be nothing but casual, and he was going to get there with his brute of a boyfriend if it was the last thing he did.

“I love you, too. Get some sleep.”

“I sleep better when you’re here.” Bard said without thinking, though it was very true. “Sorry, trying to talk to you as long as I can here. But I should get some sleep.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow then, just so that you don’t have to wait another day to hear my voice.”

Bard started laughing again. “I know you’re joking, but I would actually love that. God, I’m acting like a bloody teenager now. Am I going insane, or is this just what love always feels like?”

“It’s ok, you’re just not as good at hiding the symptoms as I am.”

…

Sigrid, Fili and Kili were sitting in a far corner of the lunch room. As loud as it could be there, Fili and Sigrid were deep in conversation over an equally hated reading assignment, barely noticing Kili making faces at them while he waited for Tauriel to meet them.

"Hey, guys." Tauriel greeted when she and Legolas reached the table.

"Hey." Sigrid said happily. She scooted over so that Legolas could sit next to her, Kili and Tauriel already lost on the other side of the table.

Sigrid could tell just by looking at the side of Legolas’ face that something was up. She had gotten to know him well enough over the school year that they saw each other as good friends, something she didn’t think would ever happen before their father’s started seeing each other.

“What’s on your mind?” Sigrid asked him, Legolas responding with a slight glare. She nudged him with her elbow, effectively disarmed him with a knowing look.

“I’ve been thinking about prom.” Legolas said, defeated. "I don't really want to go, I'll probably just hang out with my friends over in Gondor that night."

"Oh yeah, that's coming up, isn't it?" Sigrid said. 

“Doesn’t Mr. Bowman always chaperone the proms?” Tauriel asked Sigrid.

“Yeah, but he said he’d take a shift at senior prom if I didn’t want him around for Junior prom. I haven’t decided yet."

“You’re going?” Fili asked Sigrid, seeming a little on edge now that she’d mentioned her personal interest in prom.

“Well I’m planning to, I thought it’d be fun to go with friends, since I’m not dating anyone right now.”

“Ah.” He breathed out, a mixture of relief and worry spread across his face all at once.

“You don’t have to be dating someone to go to prom with them.” Tauriel said, eyeing Fili before looking back to Sigrid. “I’m not even convinced I want to go.”

“How about you, Kili?” Sigrid asked, knowing that he liked dances.

He shrugged. “I’ll go where she goes, I don’t care either way.”

“What if the four of us went all together, that would be so much fun!” Sigrid said. She glanced at Fili for a reaction, slightly nervous as to what he would think.

Fili paled and Kili gave him a consoling look before answering. “That sounds like too much fun, doesn’t it, big brother?”

Fili glared at the nickname and tried to compose himself and give Sigrid a reassuring smile. “Yeah, definitely.”

…

On Saturday, Bard left Sigrid to look after Bain and Tilda while he drove up to the city to meet Thranduil. Though it was odd being there, he tried not to look like a complete outsider and strode in with confidence. When he reached the tenth floor, he was relieved that he didn’t even have to walk up to the receptionist to get her attention. She seemed to already know who he was and quickly ushered him to Thranduil’s office door down the hall.

He walked in himself, the receptionist having already messaged Thranduil about his arrival. The history teacher was not stunned to see how the office was decorated. Quite predictably, it looked almost exactly the way his house did. Tall plants in the corners of the room, expensive looking bookshelves made of the exact same wood as the desk and other such furniture. Art hanging on the walls, a rug neatly placed in the sitting area. It was almost too tidy to look like anyone actually worked here on the daily basis.

Thranduil was reclined in his chair in a very dignified way, his posture perfect, his hand clashed together and over his crossed knee. The moment Bard walked in, his attention had narrowed, his eyes kinder than usual, though just as focused. In no time, he was on his feet, graceful as ever getting out of a chair with wheels on it, and made his way across the room to give Bard a proper greeting.

There were moments when Thranduil simply took Bard’s breath away. Anyone else would call it romantic how the older man would draw him in with nothing more than a meaningful look, woo him with loving words, and kiss him until he couldn’t see straight. Right now, they were kissing lightly and it still made his head spin.

But Bard knew about that glint in his partner’s eyes. Yes, this was mostly romance, but this was also a game; a test of wills even. Everything Thranduil did was for the challenge, for the conquest, and his mission was to conquer.

And Bard was more than fine with the idea.

“Your secretary was very thorough.” Bard said as they settled down and was handed iced coffee and a sandwich from the mini fridge.

Thranduil “I told her that I was to have a very important meeting with you and that we absolutely cannot be disturbed for the entire hour.”

Bard smiled wide, the kind of smile he knew drove his partner crazy. “And why haven’t we done this before?”

“Because frankly, before recently, I wouldn’t have considered this appropriate.” Thranduil replied, looking composed enough, though something in his voice warned Bard that there was something more to his comment.

“So what changed your mind?” He asked, stretching his arms out on the back of the couch, reaching to play with Thranduil’s long blonde locks with one hand.

Thranduil took that as an initiative and scooted closer, his hands grazing each side of the other’s hips and his mouth finding the juncture between neck and shoulder. “The fact that I no longer care what might be appropriate in the privacy of my own office. And that I’ve missed you, and the image of you sprawled out on my desk is a very arousing one.”

Bard let his head fall back onto the couch and closed his eyes, lost in sensation as he gripped Thranduil’s hair. “By all means, what else do you imagine?"

…

“So, next weekend is Junior prom.” Bard began, trying to start a conversation that wouldn’t lead to something along the lines of what they’d just done on Thranduil’s desk.

“Don’t tell me you were thinking of asking out that English teacher, I heard she’s going out with the football couch.” Thranduil said with a smirk on his face, glancing over at his partner while he straightened out a few things on his desk.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I would ask you out if I were going. We’re going steady, remember?”

Thranduil turned his attention fully back to Bard, unable to hide his small smile. “You should give me your pin just so that I don’t forget.”

Bard smiled back while buttoning his shirt back up and tucking it into his pants. “Anyway, Sigrid asked me not to chaperone for Junior prom, so I’ll be going to Senior instead, which is the weekend after next.” He looked around for his tie and found it have hanging from off the couch. “Which means its just Bain, Tilda and I next Friday night. We’ll probably watch a movie or two if you want to join.”

Thranduil nodded. “That is a tempting offer. They wouldn’t mind me crashing a family night?”

“They like you, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.” Bard was smiling until he saw the deeply contemplative look on Thranduil’s face. He gave up trying to fix his tie and reached out for one of his partner’s hands. “Is there a conversation that we should be having about this?”

Thranduil looked up at him before shaking his head with resolve. “It’s nothing serious, I just want to make sure they’re fine with me being around so often. Legolas and Tauriel are older and understand our relationship better. And because you teach at their school, they’ve gotten to know you better.”

Bard squeezed his hand and raised his free one to smooth over the side Thranduil’s face. “My kids have gotten to know you. If anything, they know they can trust you, which I think is very important. They probably also know that t I’m a little more than crazy about you.” He leaned in and kissed the other soundly, trying to rid him of all doubts. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

…

Sigrid was studying in her room when Bard got home, while the other two were just finishing up with their video game in the living room.

“Da!” Tilda exclaimed, always happy to see him home. “How was Thranduil?”

“Good. Busy, like me.” He said, leaning onto an arm chair. “He’ll be coming over this weekend while Sigrid is out at prom is you two want to watch a movie and hang out.”

“Yes!” Tilda said, bouncing up and hugging her father before going off to her room for something. Bard was amazed at how quickly she’d taken to Thranduil, she’d definitely been the first to warm up to him. While his son, well they were still working on that.

Bain looked bemused as he attempted to leave the room. Bard stopped him with a comforting hand on his slender shoulder.

“Are you ok with that plan?” Bard said.

Bain shrugged. “I don’t want to watch a movie, I think I’ll just stay in my room and read my new comic books or something.”

“Ok.” Bard said, although he didn’t lift his hand away just yet. “Bain?” He didn’t continue until his son’s eyes lifted up to see him. “Does this have anything to do with Thranduil?”

“No.” The young man spat defensively. Looking up at his father again after his eyes flickered away, he sighed. “Or, it shouldn’t.”

“But it does?”

Bain made a face that Bard read as confused and irritated all at once. “What am I suppose see him as? You said he wasn’t suppose to replace mom, and I don’t think he does. But I still don't really know what to think, where all this fits, and where I fit. If that makes any sense.”

Bard nodded and sat on the arm of the chair he was leaning on, not breaking eye contact. “I think it does. I mean, it’s weird enough that it still seems like I just came out to you as bi, isn’t it? I’m sorry about that, I honestly didn’t think it would ever come up.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I know Thranduil’s important, because you wouldn’t go out with just any guy. Or girl, I guess.” Bain shrugged again, but this time it was with a hint of humor in his voice.

“Right. Son, you don’t have to see him as a second father figure or anything along the lines of that if you don’t want to. Just know that…we’ll probably be seeing each other for a long time. I can’t see our relationship ending any time soon, so if all goes well…” Bard trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say. He himself wasn’t all too concerned about his future, even with Thranduil.

“Will you get married?” Bain asked, still trying to find some clarity.

Bard’s heart skipped at the thought, but he didn’t show it. “Maybe, not soon, but maybe someday. I wouldn’t want to change things too quickly. Believe me, Thranduil doesn’t want to give you any reason to dislike him.”

Bain shook his head. “He hasn’t.”

“But you’re still confused?”

“A little less now, I think. He gets along with Sigrid, because really, I haven’t known a soul she couldn’t eventually get along with. And Tilda loves him because she loves you two together. And I…I’m still trying to figure him out.”

“You and me both, son.” Bard smiled, standing and taking both his shoulders now. “I think you should relax, and so should he. Let what happens happen between you two. I think it'll be more than fine.”

…

Well, the weekend had come. While Bard had prepared for a nice night at home, Sigrid was prepping for company. When the doorbell rang, he opened it to greet Tauriel.

“Hi, Mr. Bowman.” She said, a few bags in her grip.

“Come in, Sigrid’s in her room.” He said, ushering her in.

“I heard you and Thranduil were planning on hanging out tonight?” She said as she walked in.

“Yep. Movie night with the kids.” Bard answered.

Tauriel smiled, hesitating to go up stairs. “Before I go off into the abyss that Sigird’s room will become once we start blasting music…I want to thank you.”

Bard’s brow rose in question, wondering what she’d have to suddenly thank him for, though she continued talking before he could ask.

“I’ve always been thankful for Thranduil. Even though he wasn’t always the kindest or the most comforting, at least not like my parents had been, he was always there. Legolas and I both grew up wanting to do well in everything we did, just in the hopes that maybe his pride in us might alleviate some of the pain he still carried with him…” Her hands were folded together as she tried to think of how to explain. She looked up at him when she found her words again. “You’ve done a better job at that in months then we did in years.”

Bard was speechless for a moment. He came closer to her and placed a firm hand on her shoulder. “You did very well, I know how proud he is of both of you.”

“But if it weren’t for you, he might never have seen Kili the way he does now. I can’t thank you enough for helping him love again, or I don’t think I’d be here, or be this happy.”

Bard nodded, now seeing where the confession had come from. He knew how difficult it had been for Thranduil to accept Kili, but also knew that all he’d really ever cared about was Tauriel’s happiness.

“I have the same debt to him, it seems, because he’s helped me too.” Bard said after a moment.

They hugged, and Bard felt a fatherly swell in his heart. He’d always felt responsible for the well being of his students, but it was different with Tauriel, even with Legolas. They were so much closer now, he felt they may be his step children one day and loved them today as if they were. It was an uplifting feeling for him, to know that he could be there for these brilliant kids.

He pulled away slightly and kissed the top of her head. She smiled up at him looked excited.

“I didn’t want to go to prom a few weeks ago, but I thought we’d better try it before totally boycotting. If we don’t like it this year, then we could always skip next year.”

“Good plan. Is Kili looking forward to this?”

“I think he just likes the idea of showing me how well he can dance, apparently he knows a lot. As for Fili…” She trailed off, wondering if Bard knew anything about that situation.

Bard was quick to understand. “He may be in for quite an odd night, unless he gets the courage to ask Sigrid to be his date before you all get there.”

“Or if she works up the courage.” Tauriel added.

They both heard a door open from upstairs and looked up to see Sigrid. “Tauriel! Get up here, I need opinions!”

“Does my opinion count?” Bard asked cheekily as Tauriel made her way up.

“You’ll love what we come up with, just wait and see!” Tauriel said before they disappeared into what she had just recently called an abyss.

…

Bard came up and knocked on the door. “You have twenty minutes before the boys get here, just a warning.”

He didn’t hear an answer, but a rush to the door from the other end before Sigrid pulled it open. She was in the dress she’d picked out a few days before. It was modest for a prom dress, nothing too flashy or glossy; a white and flowing gown that fell just above the knee. She wore matching flats and a flower at the side of her head atop light brown hair.

“We’ve been done for a while now.” She explained, still standing in the doorway.

“Well, you look wonderful.” Bard said, smiling at his eldest, the bittersweet taste of watching her grow up right before his eyes all too prevalent here.

“When is Thranduil getting here?” Tauriel asked, getting up from her seat at Sigrid’s desk. She was in a green gown that complemented everything about her; her eyes, her skin, her hair, which was adorned with a few long, thin braids.

“He should be here any moment.” Bard answered. “Since I’m not accompanying you to prom, we’ll do the normal dad thing and take pictures of you and your dates.”

Sigrid blushed slightly at the mention of dates, not to be unnoticed by either in her company.

“You know, it’s not too late to ask him.” Tauriel said.

Sigrid looked entirely too flustered at the comment. “But what if her thinks I’m just asking him so that it won’t be awkward for you and Kili? Or what if he thinks I feel sorry for him?”

“Then tell him the truth.” Bard said. “He’s your friend, he’ll appreciate your honesty.”

Sigrid squinted her eyes at him for a second. “How are you so cool with this?”

That made her father laugh. “Because I’ve seen you two tip-toeing around each other for months now and it’s beginning to even get on my nerves.”

Sigrid dramatically fell down on her bed and sat there. “You knew?”

“Who doesn’t know?” Bard said before he was promptly shooed away by his eldest daughter in her slight embarrassment. He only yielded leaving when he heard the doorbell ring. When he got downstairs, Thranduil had already let himself in.

“I rang the doorbell before I remembered you’d given me a key.” The older man explained, placing his keyring back in his pocket.

Bard smiled sweetly at the admission and stepped very close to his partner. “Hi.”

Thranduil lifted an eyebrow before smiling back, his hands finding both of Bards. “Hi.”

They kissed briefly before Tilda ran in, squealing happily as usual when she saw them together.

“Why hello there, little one.” Thranduil said fondly as she rushed him, hugging him tightly around the waist.

Bard wished his coworkers could see this, no one back at work would believe him if he said that Thranduil could be so kind and loving with children. With that thought, he turned to the coffee table where he’d procured two cameras in wake of the pre-prom pictures. In a moment, Thranduil looked up and was handed a spare camera.

“It’s your sworn duty as a father and guardian to document this moment, however reluctant you are to do so.” Bard said, receiving a glare from his partner. Thranduil then eyed the camera as if it were some foreign object before taking it. Just then, the doorbell rang. Bard answered the door to the Durins.

"Boys, you both look excellent." Bard said as he gestured for them to come in.

“Thanks, Mr. Bowman." Fili said as they stepped in, looking a little pale to the history teacher, but otherwise his usual self.

The elder twin was wearing a dark brown suit, his short blond hair parted to the side and making him look sharp. In contrast, Kili was wearing a deep blue, his longer brown hair combed for once and pulled behind his ears. Bard snapped a quick photo to Kili’s immediate dismay.

“I should have known you’d be taking pictures too.” Kili said, faking a grimace. “Mom and our Uncles didn’t stop even after we walked out the front door. And they want copies of whatever you take.”

“I’ll be sure to email everyone I know.” Bard teased while checking the battery on the camera.

“Please tell me you’re joking.” Kili groaned, earning an elbow to the side from his brother.

Tilda excused herself to run up stairs to tell Sigrid and Tauriel of the Durin’s arrival.

“Mr. Greenleaf, good to see you.” Kili said to Thranduil with a bright smile. It was genuine and both adults could tell that he was grateful to even be here. From what Bard could tell, the younger Durin probably shared a few of the same sentiments as Tauriel regarding their being together.

“Likewise.” Thranduil offered. “I trust you won’t be home too late.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sir. We might go out to eat later, but we should be home well before midnight.”

“Good. I trust you both.”

The boys looked nervously at each other, not knowing what to say. They both nodded before the girls came down stairs.

Bard found himself a little worried about Sigrid and Fili, seeing as how they both looked nervous now. He wanted them to be happy, but couldn't do anything to interfere. He saw Kili went straight to Tauriel, they were such good friends that seeing them together, you would swear they'd known each other for longer then they had, which Bard knew only to be a few years.

Then, before anyone could even suggest taking pictures, Sigrid took Fili by the arm and asked to talk to him outside. Thranduil met Bard's eye as they spoke without words. Maybe there wouldn't be any cause for worry tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the cliffhanger! I originally thought that this was going to be the last chapter, but there's way more I think needs to be written for this story! Hopefully y'all are enjoying, I know I am. Thank you for reading :D


	5. Prom Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Direct continuation of the last chapter :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not abandoned this! I love this story and I'm grateful for every single one of you reading sticking with me to the end :) Enjoy!

Thranduil hardly cared for films, though if it was an excuse to have Bard close to him, and even little Tilda snuggled up between them, he supposed he couldn’t complain too much.

Bain was lying on the floor, a large pillow propping his head up while he ate handfuls of popcorn at a time. They were watching one of his favorites, so his eyes seldom left the screen. Tilda, on the other hand, would say something every minute or so.

“But why didn’t they just call the police?” She asked. “No one in these movies ever calls the police when they accidentally kill someone.”

“Because then there wouldn’t be a story to watch. Do you really want to watch a movie about court hearings?” Bain said.

Bard immediately felt like they shouldn’t be watching this movie with Tilda. It wasn’t so much a horror film as a thriller, with some comedy sprinkled in, and she wasn’t scared of it, but it wasn’t entirely appropriate, he realized.

“At least I know you have the sense enough to call the police.” He said. “Now I totally feel safe leaving you home alone.”

“Really?” Tilda turned to look at her father in the dark.

Bard laughed. “No, not until you’re thirty.”

Tilda huffed and crossed her arms. “Da, I’ll be out of the house by then, probably with my own family.”

“Nope, I’m the boss of you forever.”

“No you’re not!” She laughed, pushing him away and grasping onto Thranduil’s arm, trying to burrow behind him, using him as a human shield.

“You’ll have to get through me to get to her, apparently.” Thranduil said, a small smile on his lips. “And I’m not ticklish.”

“You’re not?” Tilda said, her head popping up again.

“Never have been.”

Bard shrugs and said under his breath, “That explains a lot, actually.” The remark earned him a playful glare from his partner, though Tilda poked him in the ribs.

“Don’t be rude, Da.”

“What? I can joke with my boyfriend every now and again.”

They were shushed by Bain, who was still trying to watch the movie. Bard relented and scooted up closer, getting Tilda to sit in his lap and managing to get an arm around Thranduil. Their eyes met for a moment, and both knew for a split second that they were wondering what was going on at the dance. They could protect their children when they were home, even just spending time with them watching a movie was reassuring, but as a parent with older kids you couldn’t always watch, sometimes all you could do was wait and see.

…

Fili could barely register the last hour. Sigrid had swept him away, quite literally, and asked him to be her date. She’d told him that she liked him, really liked him, and that she wanted him to be her boyfriend. He could hardly speak then, he couldn’t even remember how he’d driven them all there, or how he’d ended up standing to the side staring at the floor trying to think of how to regain any sense of feeling.

“What do I even do?” He said to Kili, who was standing beside him. The younger twin had come over when he’d realized that Fili had strayed from the group, leaving the girls to talk amongst the rest of their friends for a moment.

“Seriously? You’ve been thinking about her for months now, just dance with her. At least get her some punch.” Kili said.

“She got me punch.” Fili replied, raising his plastic cup.

Kili looked exasperated. He knew that his brother had never dated, but he couldn’t imagine why he wasn’t acting overjoyed that Sigrid had asked him out. He placed a firm hand on his older brother’s shoulder.

“Well, while you stand here and overthink everything, I’m going to dance with my girlfriend. Then we’ll probably get our picture taken. Good luck.”

…

“He’s just shocked. Happy, but shocked.” Tauriel said, reassuring Sigrid. “You should probably just talk to him, calm him down. He may be the fearless Captain of the fencing team, but he’s never done this before and he’s nervous.”

Sigrid nodded. “To be honest, I’m shocked that I even asked him.”

“It’s good that you did, one of you had to. Now go over there before he turns into stone.” Tauriel said, seeing Kili walking towards them.

As Sigrid walked back to where Kili had been, the younger Durin hooked his arm around one of Tauriel’s.

“May I ask for this dance, my shining star in the night sky?” Kili said, the cheekiest of grins of his face.

Tauriel couldn’t help but smile back at him, his happiness was infectious, as always. She reached out to pinch his stubbly chin. “How do I even respond to that?”

“You say ‘yes.’ Or ‘no’ I guess, if you really don’t want to dance.” Kili replied, playfully swatting her hand away from his face.

“What if I have other plans for you?” Tauriel said, leaning down to peck him on the lips.

Kili’s eye narrowed slightly, interested in a few different ways. “Tell me.”

…

Fili saw Kili and Tauriel enter the hallway, not the dance floor, but he couldn’t really dwell on it much since Sigrid was coming up to him. He took a quick breath and downed the rest of his punch.

“Sorry, I haven’t been much of a date so far.” He said.

Sigrid shook her head, curls bouncing. “Not at all. I kind of blame myself, I spurred it on you at the last moment.” She twisted her hands together. “We really should have talked about this before.”

“Yeah.” Fili said. “But this is definitely not your fault, don’t blame yourself for anything. I don’t know the first thing about being, well, more then friends, I guess.”

“I think the first thing we have to do is remember that we are still friends. Look at Tauriel and your brother. They’re best friends who prank each other and take pictures with weird faces and kiss and hold hands. We’ve already got the friends part down.”

Fili sighed. “Then I shouldn’t be nervous.”

“You’re nervous because you don’t want to ruin the friendship.” Sigrid said. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same.”

“So at least we have that. We both feel the same about each other.”

At that, Sigrid reached her hand out, smiling when Fili took it and held it tenderly.

…

Both children had fallen asleep. Bain had gone down first, the adults having noticed when his hand fell limp from his nearly empty popcorn bowl. Tilda was snoring softly against Thranduil, who now had his arms around her.

“I’ll take her to bed?” Thranduil asked, only picking her up at Bard’s nod. Bard watched them go, seeing how gentle Thranduil was with her and falling in love with him all over again. He wondered when exactly it had happened the first time.

He knelt down to Bain and shook his shoulder lightly. “The movie’s over, bud, you should probably get to bed.”

Bain rustled and made a few unintelligible noises, refusing to open his eyes.

“You don’t want me to have to carry you, do you?” His father quipped.

“I don’t think you could carry me.” Bain drawled, rolling over.

Bard’s eyes widened. He leaned down and lowered his voice. “You dare question the strength of your father?”

“Yeah.” Bain challenged, albeit lazily.

Without another word, Bard got in position and hoisted his boy up, one arm snaked under his knees while the other was at his back. It wasn’t as easy as he’d thought it would be, but Bain was still skinny and didn’t weigh too much. Bain was startled awake by then, laughing as he tried to get down.

Thranduil heard them rough housing when he got upstairs. Tilda’s door was already open, so he went inside and set her down. He hadn’t done this since Legolas was little, and he was probably five, much younger then Tilda was now.

She was awake enough to realize she’d been moved, her eyes squinting in the darkness.

“Ada?” She said as he was still kneeling by her side.

Thranduil paused, the word like an echo in his mind. Legolas did used to call him that, and it seemed to have vanished from their world after his mother passed. Hearing Tilda say it now was almost enchanting, bringing back memory that he didn’t think he could remember ever again.

“Yes, sweetheart?” He said.

"I love you." She said with a small smile.

“I love you, too.” He said without thinking on it long. Tilda was precious to him, and she must think him a good man if she wanted to call him something as personal as Ada. "Now get some sleep."

She reached for him and he leaned down to hug her, kiss her forehead, and finally got up to leave as she drifted back into sleep. Bard was at the door, watching them.

"You two are too much, you know that?" Bard said.

“She's quickly becoming my weakness, I have to admit." Thranduil said. "Bain didn’t break you, did he?”

“If anything, I might have pulled a muscle. That wasn’t the best thing to do to my back.” Bard grimaced. “I am a little older then I’d like to admit.”

Thranduil looked at his watch. “It’s only nine. I can’t imagine our kids getting back anytime soon. I can rub your back for you.”

Bard sighed in relief as they started towards the stairs. “That would be amazing. I’d call you a saint if I didn’t know any better.”

Thranduil gave s short, low laugh. “You know me well.”

…

“How much longer do they have to talk until they actually do something?” Kili said, having peaked back into the gymnasium to see if they’d progressed further then talking, which they hadn’t, though they were now sitting and holding hands.

“It took us a whole semester to start dating.” Tauriel pointed out, leaning against the wall.

Kili joined her, crossing his arms, their shoulders brushing together. “Yeah, but that was since we’d met. They’ve known each other for years, and I know for a fact just how long Fili has liked her.”

“Fili isn’t you.” Tauriel said, stepping in front of him. “You both care about people so much, but you show it in different ways. You’re almost complete opposites.”

“Oh yeah? How are we so different then?” Kili asked, untwisting his arms so that he can rest his hands on her sides as she leaned in closer.

“Well, for one thing, Fili doesn’t sneak into Bard’s house just to braid Sigrid’s hair.”

“He might, now that they’re a thing.” Kili said, leaning in to lightly nip at her already kiss swollen lips. “And you like it when I come over. Don’t act like you’re so innocent, you’re the one always pulling me into the girl’s locker room after archery practice, oh Captain, my Captain.”

“We’re a good match that way.” Tauriel said with a smirk. She’d always admired how sensitive Kili was, and he loved that she was straightforward with everything. They balanced each other out. “Sigrid and Fili are different, they’re going to be slow and steady.”

“For what? So they can win a race? Either way, we don’t have a lot of time, might as well make the most of it.”

Tauriel could hear the bitterness in his voice. “We have another year.”

Kili nearly growled in frustration, his hands now tight at her sides. “I’ve been with you for three years, one year isn’t going to feel like a lot. And then four years apart — I don’t even want to think about it.”

Tauriel ran her fingers through his hair, looking down at him. “We can both drive now, I’m definitely going to be visiting you.”

“I want you to come with me.” He said desperately as he looked up at her, his face now flushed.

She hated seeing him like this, but she could only console him and try to chase his fears away. “I told you I would apply, but you have to prepared for me not being able to go.”

“But I love you.” Kili ducked his head slightly, trying to hold in his tears.

Tauriel tucked her head tightly next to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I love you, too.” She kissed the shell of his ear. “We can do this. We can do anything. Everything will be fine.”

He nodded, still pressed against her. His hands were clutching at her back as he willed to gain back his composure, sniffling deeply and feeling safe in her embrace.

…

Bard was lying on his stomach, face buried in a pillow. His partner was an excellent masseuse, something he didn't take advantage of often enough. He occasionally let out small noises, involuntarily, but he wasn’t embarrassed anymore. He used to be a bit self conscious about that kind of thing, but now he was nothing but comfortable with Thranduil.

“You really have a beautiful back. Not a lot of men can say that.” Thranduil said.

Bard turned his head and looked at Thranduil sideways. “It may be pretty, but it’s still getting old.”

“You just have to exercise with me regularly, we’ll strengthen you up.”

Bard made a desperate sigh. “I hate going to the gym.”

Thranduil smirked, continuing his work. “Then we can jog, or go to a class or something.” The older man felt his partner start to laugh before hearin it.

“Us, going to a fitness class together. Typical gay, marital bliss." Bard said, smiling wide. "It should be a spin class.”

They were both laughing now, and Thranduil’s hands had stopped what they were doing. “Can’t be marital bliss, not yet.”

“I know, it was just a joke.” The teacher admitted after a moment. They were silent again for a few beats before he continued. "Would you though? Get marred again?”

The blond man sat back, taking his time to think. He had thought about this before, but they hadn't yet discussed anything like it together. “For you," he began, "I would do anything. Would you re-marry?”

Bard ran a hand through his mid-length hair, something Thranduil knew he only did when he was anxious. “I’d like to look at you, before I say it.”

Bard sat up, his back feeling immensely better. Without another thought, he reached out, grabbed the collar of Thranduil's shirt, and dragged him into a sweet, slow kiss before saying what was on his mind. 

“I would marry you to minute you asked." He said, only pulling back slightly to look into his partner's eyes. "But I do suppose we should give it a few years. We do have to think about the kids.”

“And that we don’t have to rush. Remember?” Thranduil said, trying not to look surprised by Bard's confession. 

“It’s so easy to go fast with you.” Bard said, his hands having wound up his partner's chest to rest at his shoulders. 

“Maybe after the kids are graduated. But that would be a very long time.”

“That sounds good though, because then they wouldn't have to adjust to much else." Bard thought for a moment. "How long would that be…”

“Ten years.” Thranduil answered. "Tilda will be graduating by then."

“Want to set a date?” Bard asked jokingly, his smile giving it away.

“Maybe later…” Thranduil said, leaning down for a slow, open mouthed kiss. “For now, I want you on your back. I'm not done with you, old man."

"Yes, sir." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question: I want to write more about Legolas and and possibly Aragorn. Thoughts? Requests? Let me know


	6. Happy Beginnings and Not So Much of an Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some odd years later, Tilda's graduating, and Bard and Thranduil are thinking about their future.

Over the years, Bard’s family had gone from a small clan of four, to more people then he thought he had names for. 

And they were all bustling about in his living room. 

“Now you know what it’s like in my house.” Bilbo had said, laughing. “The first time Thorin’s side of the family decided to pay me a visit, I was the last to know about it!”

Not that Bard was complaining, but as he staggered into the kitchen to get a moment of peace, it suddenly struck him just how much time had passed and exactly how much had changed in nearly ten years since he and Thranduil had gotten together.

Tilda had graduated high school today, which was the reason for the family and friends gathering, and Bard was nothing if not a mess. He’d been teaching at the school for nearly as long as his youngest had been alive, and now she was eighteen and going off to college soon. 

But Bard was moving on as well, having become principal of the Laketown High just a year ago. He missed teaching, but the school was happy and prospering with him at the office. He could barely believe that all of his children had grown up and nearly all had left home to pursue the world with their own dreams. 

Even with so many years to adjust, sometimes it was still overwhelming. 

At least one good thing about this boisterous graduation party was that everyone was home to celebrate, including Sigrid and Bain. His once small and humble family had grown into something quite extraordinary. There was of course the addition of Thranduil and his children, now adults and prospering on their own. Tauriel married Kili a few years back, and they were parents now to a very young boy. The addition of the Durin family is what makes most of the occasional chaos ensue, but they’re always the life of the party—somehow managing to never break one thing, a fact that both Bard and Bilbo are incredibly grateful for. 

Getting himself a bottle of water, Bard looked out at the crowd as discreetly as he could. Tilda was chatting with a group of Thorin’s cousins, all incredibly interested in what she was planning on studying. Bain was talking with Legolas, someone who had quite easily become a big brother to him in their youth. Then he spotted Sigrid and Fili, talking as animatedly as they used to. They’d had split up in college, neither having wanted to hold the other back because of the long distance, something Kili and Tauriel seemed to have handled very well. They were still good friends of course, and Bard thanked his lucky stars for that.

The Durins had moved from Laketown back to Erebor after the twin’s graduation, but visited often now that they were relations. Thranduil and Thorin did eventually reconcile, and although they might not be the friendliest towards each other, they do — to Bard’s endless amusement — spend as much time as they can with their only grandchild, even if they have to do it together. Taurin is a very spoiled two year old when it comes to their attentions. 

The house was packed and Bard was thankful they’d remodeled the living room and kitchen a few years back. Even as he stands here looking at the modernized kitchen wall, he remembers the day he bought the house and what it looked like, all brown brick walls and wooden floors. He also remembers the small fight he and his partner had about the renovations when Thranduil had first moved in. 

Bard smiles to himself now, knowing that even their bigger arguments end up in apologies and compromises. He couldn’t have asked for a better second chance at love. 

He looked up as he felt a hand at his waist. Thranduil was just in front of his now, he’d been so deep in thought that he hardly noticed until now.

“What are you thinking?” Thranduil asked, his voice low, his touch soothing. Thranduil knew very well how overwhelmed Bard usually was when he had to play host. 

Their eyes met and Bard sighed. “She’s going places, my youngest. I’m so proud of her I can hardly stand it.”

Thranduil’s ghost of a smile was like a ray of sunshine to Bard, but it was gone in a moment. “And yet, something else is on your mind.”

Bard should really be used to his partner’s intuition by now, but sometimes it still baffled him, it like he could read minds. 

“I wish she was here to see this.” Bard said, his words nearly catching in his throat. “Tilda’s our last.” 

Thranduil didn’t have to ask what he meant, and he didn’t need to be told what Bard needed, because his arms were around Bard in the next moment, holding him close. 

Bard’s hands went around Thranduil’s hips, his nose in the other’s collar as he breathed in, trying to keep his composure as he thought of what he wanted to say next. 

“But I also have you to thank. You helped me raise her.” 

Thranduil’s arms tighten around his neck, so Bard wrapped his arms firmly around his partner’s middle, holding on for a fleeting few seconds. Bard turned his head to kiss the underside of Thranduil’s jaw before his lips were seized by Thranduil’s. They kissed sweetly and chaste in the kitchen, listening to everyone mingling and shuffling about in the rest of the house. 

When they separated, it wasn’t by much. They stood close together, leaning against the counter, shoulders and hips touching, looking out into the crowd through the kitchen doorway.

“She’s a natural when it comes to commanding the room.” Thranduil said, nodding over to Tilda. “But I’m very tempted to steal the show.”

“Why?” Bard asked, almost incredulously. Thranduil had a tendency to be too clever at times, always surprising him with something or other. He was afraid that Thranduil would never become a predictable old man. 

His other half looked at him with a stark glare and a glint in his eye, one that was both feral and warm somehow. Bard had not only gotten used to his intensity, something other people find unsettling, because now it was somehow comforting. 

“Because I love you. And I’ve waited long enough.” Thranduil said, discreetly pulling out a small, sleekly decorated box from his pocket. Bard knew what it had to be by the tone of his voice and the look in his eye. They’d been talking casually about marriage for years now, and had always said ‘maybe after the kids are all gone.’

“You old, maniacal tyrant!” Bard said under his breath as to not draw attention to themselves, though he was sure he could see Bilbo peering at them from across the hall. He kissed his partner hard on the mouth quickly before closing his hands around the ring box still in Thranduil’s hand. 

“There is no way I’m allowing you to divert everyone’s attention to us.” He warned, though he couldn’t completely rid himself of a silly, happy smile. 

“Just tell me ‘yes’ and we’ll keep it our little secret until tomorrow.” Thranduil said in a low laugh. 

Bard tried not to look overjoyed, but failed miserably as Thranduil prepared to slip the thankfully conservative engagement ring on his left hand. He looked down at it and wondered why he was so suddenly giddy about this. 

“Well?” Thranduil asked, looking for an answer he knew he’d receive.

Bard looked up at him then, a very serious look on his face. “Yes, of course, you idiot.” 

“Remarkable, my wife said practically the same thing.” Thranduil said, smiling wickedly and finally gave him the ring.

“So you enjoy torturing your future spouses?” Bard asked, feeling the cold metal around his ring finger and loving the feeling something taking up that space again. 

“It’s my favorite thing to do, I’m surprised you’ve just now put that together.” Thranduil teased, leaning in for another kiss and held it for a few seconds before pulling away completely and taking wine glass from it’s place above the counter. “I’ll continue to see to our guests, then.”

Bard huffed. “I know that means you’re going straight to Taurin.”

Thranduil would have done something along the lines of flipping him off if there were not children present. Bard couldn’t stop smiling and hoped that no one had overheard them. Or would notice the ring. But as soon as he saw his eldest, those thoughts seemed secondary.

He and Sigrid were talking, and soon, Bard was surrounded by nearly all his children. 

Kili was included in this group, pointing out Thorin and Thranduil in the living room. “I had to give the grandparents some alone time with my son. Turns out I only get him when he’s crying.”

Bard laughed. “Soon they’ll be fighting over who gets to pay for his college education.”

“I’m not listening!” Kili said, fingers in his ears. “Just because your kids have all grown up, doesn’t mean that you have to make me suffer at the thought of my little boy being anything but little.”

“Enjoy it while it lasts.” Bard said, raising his voice a little to Kili’s mock bemusement.

“Not listening!” Kili continued, making the whole circle laugh. 

Bard shook his head. “And here I thought you had matured.”

“Just because he’s finally grown a beard doesn’t mean he’s matured at all.” Tauriel quipped, smiling at her husband when he made a face at her. 

“You know, its sort of comforting knowing that you two haven’t changed. At all.” Sigrid said. 

They all separated into different conversations, and now Bard was talking with Bain. 

“How’s the student teaching going?” He asked, still a little too proud that his son had decided to go into the same profession as he had. 

“Good, I think.” Bain said. “I’m better with younger kids. How did you even deal with teenagers?”

“Years of practice.” Bard said.

Bain smiled, and the conversation had a natural lull until Bain noticed the ring on his father’s left hand. “You didn’t get married and not tell anyone, did you?”

Bard nearly sputtered. “What?”

“What’s that ring for then?” Bain continued, sounding more curious then anything. “You don’t wear jewelry.”

Bard sighed, trying to hide that giddy smile again. Upon failing, he decided that Bain had a right to know. “Well, I’m not married yet” he said in a very hushed voice.

Bain’s curious express broke out into a full on smile at the admittance. Getting that point that this was meant to be a secret still, he spoke quietly. “So you’re finally engaged? You’re finally doing this?”

“Yes.” Bard nodded, a little overwhelmed with his son’s excited reaction. he could not have predicted this. 

Bain hugged his father rather suddenly, making Bard even happier whilst simultaneously reminding him of their slight height difference, as Bain was just a hair taller then him now. 

“Just saying, I would do very well as a best man.” Bain said.

“You’re very excited about this.” Bard said.

“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” Bain said, smiling. “You and Thranduil deserve to be happy.”

“We’d have been happy, married or not.”

“Still, this is special. And you haven’t made an announcement?”

“He only just asked me, the idiot.” Bard said, looking around to se that he wasn’t listening, making Bain stifle a laugh. “I didn’t want to overshadow Tilda’s day.”

“Are you kidding? This will make her day!”

“I’ll tell her later, I promise.”

Bain relented and hugged his dad again.

…

Thranduil had found Legolas near the end of the gathering while Tilda was opening her gifts. They hadn’t seen each other face to face for a year or so until that morning. Thranduil knew that Legolas and his friends were doing important work, and backpacking across a few different countries was part of it. He missed his son, but knew better then to keep him close.

“So how are you going to do with the empty nest situation?” Legolas said.

“We should be just fine, I already have plans for refurnishing the place and knocking a few walls down.” Thranduil said, noting how Legolas eyed Bard from across the room. 

“Have you told him that?”

Thranduil shrugged. “I’ll tell him when he needs to know.”

The two Greenleafs smile at each other and wait for another topic of conversation to present itself in compatible silence for a few beats. 

“If I were half the father Bard is, I’d ask you to stay longer.” Thranduil said, surprising himself a little. 

Legolas didn’t look at him for a moment, staring ahead and processing. 

“You allow and encourage me to find my own way, that’s not the mark of a terrible father.” Legolas said. “And admit it, Bard’s kids are just as much yours now, especially Tilda. You’ve had your hands full.”

“You’re mother would ask you to visit more often, or would get on a plane and go straight to you.”

“She would have tried.” Legolas admitted.

Thranduil sighed and took a drink of wine. “Forgive me, Bard’s got me sentimental today.” He paused before looking straight at his son. “I asked him to marry me.”

Legolas couldn’t help but smile at his father’s seriousness. They’d been together for nearly ten years, this wasn’t a shock or a concern. He’d thought it inevitable. “So when’s the wedding?”

Thranduil grimaced. “I don’t think we’ll be having one. Bard doesn’t like much ceremony anyhow, I thought we’d make it a quaint occasion, possibly over my vacation.”

“How considerate.” Legolas said, grasping his father’s free hand for a moment. “Congratulations.” 

…

Bilbo, the sly burglar that he was, made his way to Thorin, who had somewhat removed himself from the crowd after Taurin starting fussing. 

“Do I have news for you.” Bilbo said, reaching out over his husband’s should for one of Taurin’s tiny hands. 

“Do you, now?” Thorin asked, wondering what kind of gossip Bilbo could have possibly come up with this time. He was no better when it came to gossip, he had to admit more often then he liked. 

“I’ve heard both Bard and Thranduil talking today about being officially engaged.”

“Finally.” Thorin said without skipping a beat. 

Bilbo nearly spat out his drink when he heard Thorin. He quickly started laughing. “You know, that means I win the bet.”

Thorin tried not to curse under his breath. “Dwalin wins as well, then.”

…

A few weeks later, Bard and Thranduil had driven Tilda to her new home at the dorms. 

“Was that everything?” Bard asked, checking the room they’d just half packed with his daughter’s things.

“Yeah, that’s it.” She nodded. 

Bard turned to her and took her shoulders in a warm gesture. “I’ll try not to miss you too much. Send me pictures of the campus, tell me when you have your first class, tell me whenever you eat something—“

“Darling,” Thranduil interrupted him, “you’ve done this twice now with your own children, and I didn’t even ask you to worry about mine when you did. I would think you’d have gotten better at this.” 

Bard shook his head, his eyes tearing up a little. “Nothing could have prepared me for this. Ignore me, I’m just getting emotional.”

“Its OK, I’ll still send you pictures.” Tilda said, hugging her father tightly before turning to Thranduil. “And I trust I still have you as a volunteer essay reader?”

“Absolutely, I love your writing.” Her soon to be step-father confirmed. “You will be missed at home. But I have no doubts that wherever you go, it will be brightened by your presence.”

“You’re just happy to have the house to yourself.” Tilda said. 

“Quite on the contrary, what will we have to talk about now that there are no children to take care of?”

Tilda laughed. “You’ll have to bare the best you can. Although I’m sure you’re happy that Kili and Tauriel are staying for a few more days.” She looked at her phone and saw the time. “I should go, orientation is in a few.”

Bard went for one last hug. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Da.” Tilda said, hugging Thranduil as well. “Love you, Ada.”

“Be safe, darling.”

…

That night, just when they usually turned in for the night, Thranduil couldn’t find Bard. He’d been reading in the living room, but hadn’t seen his counterpart for better part of an hour. He got up to investigate, eventually finding him on the porch, the front door having been left slightly ajar. Thranduil let himself out, but Bard didn’t look back at him, he was already looking up at the stars. 

“I was just thinking.” Bard said. “It was a night like this that we first kissed. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.”

Thranduil sat next to him and looked up contemplatively. “Where would you be?”

Bard shrugged. “I don’t know. I would have drowned in my own sorrow if you hadn’t been there for me to talk to. I’d have never found anyone else to love, to make me this happy.”

Thranduil frowned, curling an arm around Bard’s lower back. “You could have.”

“I don’t think so.” Bard shook his head. He looked to his right, finding his partner’s glass blue eyes. “But no need in asked ‘what ifs’ when I have you.” He leaned in for a kiss, and was met with a practiced and pleasant ease between them. 

“Why so reflective all of the sudden?” Thranduil asked after pulling away. 

“Everything’s always changing.” Bard said after a beat. “There’s always been something going on. Now, we’ll both be working steadily, there are no kids in the house, nothing to stop us from just…being married I guess.”

“And is that bad?” 

“No. I’m actually looking forward to this. All my life, I’ve been running around, trying to make ends meet. Now, all I need to do is come home to you, and my worries are over.”

Thranduil couldn’t hold in his smile. “You’re almost too romantic for me.”

Bard nudged him slightly. “Makes up for you, hard arse.”

Thranduil would have pushed him back if the lighting wasn’t as perfect as it was. The porch light wasn’t on, but the moon was full, and the sight of Bard this content and unburdened with much of anything was a sight to behold indeed. 

“I love you. I love our life.” Thranduil finally said. 

So they kissed under the stars for some time, and the next day, they went to town hall to do paperwork (which was more romantic then it sounds).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with me on this! I loved writing this story and I'd really love to continue, so I might be posting individual ficlets in a series later if I have time. Let me know if you'd be interested in that and I'll make it happen :) Thanks again!


End file.
